CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Early voting began this week for the Nov. 8 election, which includes the race for U.S. Congress, District 7, covering Montgomery County.
Clarksville Now is checking in on the candidates to see where they stand on the issues.
U.S. House, Dist. 7
- Mark Green, R
- Odessa Kelly, D
- Steven Hooper, I
Here are the responses from incumbent Congressman Mark Green, a physician, businessman, combat veteran and former state senator. During his years of service, he was a flight surgeon assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Question: What is your stand on economic recovery solutions?
Green: The booming economy – until the policies of the last few years – is proof that cutting taxes and rolling back the regulatory state lead to prosperity. Government first and foremost needs to get out of the way. Small businesses are the economic engine of America and should be unleashed from the burdensome regulations. Regulations weigh the economy down by as much as $2 trillion annually, hampering productivity across industries. As a state senator, I led the fight to repeal the Hall Income Tax, making our state one of only two states to have ever repealed an income tax of any kind.
Question: What is your stand on abortion access, particularly in cases of rape or incest?
Green: As a physician, I know firsthand that life begins at conception, and it’s our moral responsibility as humans to protect the most vulnerable among us. As one of only seven countries that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks in the world – in the company of North Korea – passing the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act should be an easy first step. I was proud to co-sponsor the bill. The Supreme Court righted one of the greatest wrongs in our nation’s history with the Dobbs decision, and we must continue our fight to protect life in every state.
Question: What is your stand on expanding access to health care for low-income families?
Green: We must fix healthcare in America. As a former healthcare CEO, I know that to increase access, we must cut red tape and keep the government from bogging down the system. I introduced the Medicaid Improvement and State Flexibility Act, which allows states to implement a patient-centered and patient-controlled pilot program for Medicaid patients similar to what I passed as a state senator. I have also introduced two bipartisan bills in Congress to repeal arcane rules that are killing our rural hospitals. Consumer-centered health care shifts control of choice, decisions and payment to the patients and their providers.
Question: Is there another issue that you’d like to weigh in on?
Green: Newly released data shows that inflation shot up to 8.2% in September. This includes a 13% jump in the cost of groceries and a 19.8% jump in energy costs. This is harming hardworking Tennessee families. Washington spending has sent our economy into a freefall. With the holidays coming up, families are struggling to host Thanksgiving dinner and buy their kids Christmas presents. Every time Democrats get their hands on an industry, prices shoot up. Just look at health care premiums since the ACA was enacted. And we must get the government out of the way.
MORE: Congressional candidate Odessa Kelly on economy, abortion, prescription drug prices
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Early voting will be Oct. 19-Nov. 3 at the Election Commission Office, 350 Pageant Lane, and Oct. 24-Nov. 3 at the Clarksville Regional Airport, 200A Outlaw Field Road.
Voting on Election Day, Nov. 8, will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the neighborhood voting precincts.
You will have to show your driver’s license or other state or federal photo ID.
For more information, go to the Montgomery County Election Commission website.
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